


Secondhand Serenade

by Draquete



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alpha Merlin, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Happy Ending, Knotting, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Misunderstandings, Omega Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Omega Morgana - Freeform, Serenading, Songs, i mean kinda, no magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-02
Updated: 2018-09-02
Packaged: 2019-07-05 16:52:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15867765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Draquete/pseuds/Draquete
Summary: One night, a dashing Alpha serenades Arthur; it should be ridiculous and Arthur shouldn't have been happy about it, but it was sweet and Arthur couldn't help but feel special.





	Secondhand Serenade

**Author's Note:**

  * For [theblackbirds](https://archiveofourown.org/users/theblackbirds/gifts).



> HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARIIIIIII!!! Omg I started writing this for your birthday TWO YEARS AGO. (was it two years ago or am i crazy?) Anyway. I finally managed to finish it in time and I hope that you enjoy it! 
> 
> The idea for this fic came from the band called 'Secondhand Serenade', even though none of their songs is here. Any mistakes/typos/etc is all mine.

**Act I – I Knew I Loved You, Savage Garden**

It was a Wednesday the first time the black haired boy with the big ears showed up outside Arthur’s dormitory building. At first, Arthur had no idea what was going on. He was finishing a paper so he could go to a party on Saturday night and he was completely focused on what he was doing. What he heard first, though, was the murmuring outside his room. He was about to go out and tell everyone to shut up when he heard _it_.

_It_ being a song coming from outside. Frowning, Arthur went to the window and opened it and, there he was. The boy had a freaking boom box with him, and it was playing an old song, one that Arthur was pretty sure he had heard before but hadn’t heard in _ages_. Looking from above, it was obvious the boy was serenading someone. And from the looks of it, it seemed it was a room near Arthur’s – in fact, it could be _for_ Arthur.

Now, Arthur wasn’t pretentious, but he knew he was a good looking Omega. Not only that, but he was rich and popular, many Alphas had tried to seduce him and all of them were selfish jerks. The ones that hadn’t tried anything were Arthur’s friends and Arthur enjoyed their company.

This guy, though, certainly an Alpha now that Arthur could smell him from his open window – and fuck, wasn’t that the most delicious smell? – was kind of cute. Not that he could see properly from the sixth floor, but who serenaded people these days? And the song _was_ romantic, Arthur had to give the boy credit for it, not to mention that the song clearly said that they hadn’t met yet, although love was a bit too much, in Arthur’s opinion.

Arthur watched the whole time as the boy looked in his direction and let the boom box play, a goofy smile on his lips – although he wouldn’t admit it to anyone – until Lancelot came and escorted the boy from there – unmated Alphas weren’t allowed at the Omega dormitories. The Alpha left without a fight, and Arthur thought he saw the man open a smile before turning his back on the dormitory.

Well, as flattering as it was, Arthur wouldn’t subject himself to talk to the boy first. Let him come to Arthur to talk on his own – let him even serenade him again.

The next day, Morgana caught up with him as he was leaving his room for his class and Arthur sighed, already knowing what his sister would want to talk about.

“Good morning, Morgana.” The girl had a mischievous smile on her face and Arthur had to refrain himself from talking about last night’s serenade guy.

“Good morning, Arthur.” She replied, waking by his side as they made their way to the elevator. “So. I guess you saw the handsome man serenading you last night. I mean, not my personal choice of song, but I have to admit it was the cutest. Considering he’s interested in you and all that.” Morgana chuckled and Arthur rolled his eyes.

“We can’t be sure he was singing for me, Morgana. I don’t even know the guy.” Morgana rolled her eyes then and gave Arthur a little shove, as if her brother was being irrational.

“Arthur, three of my friends texted me asking if the boy was serenading you because it looked like it. Are you really going to tell me that it didn’t cross your mind that it might be you he was serenading?” Arthur was silent for a moment, feeling his cheeks heating up because yes, he did think it was for him, but Morgana didn’t need to sound so condescending. “I knew it.” Morgana’s tone was victorious and Arthur huffed in annoyance, but didn’t try to correct her.

“Okay, fine. It doesn’t matter, though. He’ll have to come and talk to me if he’s all that interested. The serenading was nice and a good conversation starter, but he’s the one who should make a move.” Arthur gruffly said as they stopped to make their separate ways. “I’m not the one interested and I don’t even know who that guy is, Morgana, so you should stop being all over excited about this. Let’s see what he does next.”

“You’re no fun, Arthur.” Morgana shouldered her bag and gave Arthur a pointed look before walking her own way. Arthur sighed before doing the same.

**Act II – Crazy For You, Madonna**

Arthur actually saw the boy at the party on Saturday. He was handsome, Arthur had to give him credit, with his high cheekbones, plump lips and slender frame. For an Alpha, that was a bit odd looking, but Arthur loathed stereotypes. He was a little butch, something most Omegas weren’t. He enjoyed working out and doing sports, resulting in a more built up body and he liked how he looked like. Therefore, the boy not being an Alpha jock stereotype was actually pretty alluring to Arthur.

They didn’t talk, though. Arthur noticed the boy watching him – and Morgana and some of their friends – with a beautiful blush on his cheeks, but he did not try to come and talk to Arthur. Well, granted, Arthur was popular and had at least seven other people talking to him at the moment, so he understood how it could be seen as frightening to give the first step in such a situation.

Morgana kept trying to talk Arthur into talking to the boy when their friends weren’t paying them attention, but Arthur just brushed her off and observed the Alpha. Apparently, he was friends with Lancelot and Gwaine – a beta and an Omega – and a girl that smelt like a beta and was hugging Lancelot, probably his girlfriend and Arthur was actually impressed that he was very subdued and didn’t have any Alpha friends. At least not around anyway.

Arthur asked Morgana to talk to Gwaine and try to find out who the Alpha was – after all, Morgana was very sociable with all the Omegas in their dormitory, even if they weren’t close friends. Morgana texted Gwaine and it took at least half an hour to have a reply. The guy was called Merlin.

“What kind of name is that?” Arthur whispered to Morgana as he read the text message from over his sister’s shoulder. Morgana simply shrugged, happy enough to have a name.

Throughout the night, Morgana kept pestering him to talk to Merlin, but Arthur didn't move. Not long after, Merlin and his friends left the party - and Arthur was half excited to see his gloomy face as he shot Arthur a last glance. Arthur didn't stay after that. Not because the boy had left the party, but because the party was boring and he needed to do a lot of things the next day anyway - or at least that was what he told Morgana.

On Sunday, Arthur wasn't really expecting Merlin to be back at the dormitory and serenading him again; he honestly had thought that it wouldn't happen again at all, since Merlin hadn't talked to him on the party. However, at sunset, Merlin was back, boom box on his shoulder and another cheesy song playing.

It was another old song, one Arthur was pretty sure was Madonna's, but he had never been such a big fan of hers to know all her songs. He opened the window and looked down at Merlin, a silly smile making its way into his face without his knowledge. On the setting sun, Merlin was even more handsome. The colours were bright in the Autumn sun, the leaves of the trees falling all around him and the mixture of yellow, red and orange made the scene in front of him look like it had just come out of a movie.

Unfortunately, as the song was finishing, Lancelot came around to ask Merlin to leave the premises. The Alpha did, but not before shooting a coy smile Arthur's way.

Fuck, Arthur was falling in love with a guy he had never even spoken to before.

**Act III – House of Cards, Tyler Shaw**

There was no sign of Merlin for at least two weeks. Not that Arthur was trying to find him on campus, but if he kept making sure he smelt him or caught his eye, it wasn't his fault, he was simply indulging himself. Arthur had to admit to himself that he was a bit upset that Merlin didn't continue serenading him - he was quite enjoying the attention and the clichéd songs - but he tried to convince himself that it was for the best.

On the third week after the party, the University held a week long fair, making everyone collaborate in a way and try to gather money for donation. Arthur, who was studying Business, and some of his class mates were tutoring some high-schoolers who were interested in going to University there and needed help raising their grades. Morgana, who was majoring in both fashion and music, had recorded a few songs with her class and they were selling them on iTunes and even on CDs. Some of their friends were selling food or baking, others were actually sewing and creating amazing clothes - Morgana had helped with that as well.

It was a crazy week, which meant Arthur had not seen Merlin at all. He had smelt the man, he was certain Merlin was working somewhere in the library as well, but they never crossed paths. Until Friday morning. Arthur was running a bit late - he had walked around campus to buy some things from the students who were selling things to help as well - and as he made his way into the library, he smelt the Alpha way closer than the other times. He looked around, trying to see where the boy was, and finally he saw him near the front desk. The man had books all over him and Arthur noticed he was selling books and Arthur felt tempted to go over and buy at least one. Not because he wanted to talk to Merlin, far from that; but because he had been helping others to gather money, so he might as well help Merlin too.

However, Arthur blushed violently, turned on his heels and bolted to where his group was seated when Merlin's eyes fell on him. God, that was so unlike him. He had never been shy. In fact, he had never acted like that with anyone. Sure, Merlin was cute, handsome and Arthur could admit to himself that he was infatuated with the boy, but he had had crushes before and he had _never_ reacted this way.

The rest of the day. Arthur was awfully aware of Merlin's presence and time and time again he'd pass through him just to shoot him a glance, but the Alpha had a busy day, many people coming in and out to buy books or even donate some. To say that Arthur made a poor job at his tutoring that day would be an understatement, but it was the last day and he was certain the high schoolers he had been helping understood everything he taught them.

By the end of the day, Arthur was exhausted. He just wanted to take a warm shower, eat and go to bed. After his shower, as he went to his bedside table near the window to grab his phone and order some food, he smelt Merlin approaching. Arthur opened his window and looked out and saw as the man made his way to his spot where he could see Arthur's window. Arthur had a silly smile on his face without noticing, Merlin's smell as enticing as ever, and he couldn't help but think that Merlin came today after they saw each other this morning.

It made Arthur incredibly giddy to think about it - not that he would ever admit it to anyone - and when Merlin finally pressed play on the boom box, Arthur was certain that was the case. Arthur had heard this song before and for the first time he could say the song was to his taste, not to mention that the lyrics were cute and they seemed to fit Merlin's choices so far.

Arthur was so enthralled by the song and the way Merlin's eyes shone in the moonlight that he didn't even hear the murmuring coming from the halls or the sighs from other omegas in the building watching Merlin play his boom box.

By the time Lancelot came to escort Merlin out, the song was already over and Merlin seemed to have a goofy smile on his face. Arthur kept looking the Alpha go until he couldn't see him anymore. With a sigh, Arthur fell on his bed and kept thinking about Merlin and how gorgeous and cute and nice he looked like. Sure, he would only be certain if Merlin wasn't one of those knotheads who thought they could dominate his Omega after they actually talked. However, Merlin's smell was too appealing to Arthur, it wasn't only a physical reaction to his appearance, but there was chemistry there in the core of their biology.

For the first time in his life, Arthur was hoping an Alpha would be everything he expected from his future mate.

**Act IV – Wonder, Lauren Aquilina**

When Omegas got in heat, they'd be free from classes, but they wouldn't need to go home. Their rooms were private and safe enough, not to mention that one other Omega - Morgana in Arthur's case - had a spare key to check on each other during the heat to make sure they were eating and drinking and just overall fine. The security on the building also grew, with more Betas working to make sure Alphas didn't get close to the building at all.

Therefore, Arthur was already expecting Merlin would not come serenade him during his heat. The Alpha wouldn't even be allowed to get close and, in all honesty, Arthur wouldn't be able to appreciate the song anyway due to his dazed state. However, during his heat, he couldn't stop thinking of Merlin. Now that he was enamoured enough with the boy, his smell was compatible and his appearance was appealing to Arthur, he yearned for Merlin to be there and knot him.

Had he been in his perfect mind, he would have found it ridiculous that he was actually thinking of someone fucking him through a heat - knotting him, mating with him, impregnating him - who he had never even spoken to. It wasn't the case, though, and he was desperate to leave his room and go after Merlin, sit on his cock and smell him as he bared his throat to Merlin to give him a mating bite.

Thankfully enough, Morgana had gotten his key and locked him inside of his room, coming once every day to make sure he was alright, but not letting him escape. Meanwhile, Morgana found it all adorable. Arthur wasn't one to fall head over heels over someone. In fact, this was the first time during a heat that he had called someone's name, so that probably meant more than Arthur had any idea.

Four days later, Arthur's heat finally over, he took a long shower, scrubbing himself clean - blushing the whole time as he remembered what he had thought during his heat and while he fucked himself with a dildo. The next day, he was back to classes and he also did his laundry, making sure his room would stop smelling like his heat. After a long day of cleaning and lessons, Arthur called it a day. He was a bit upset that Merlin hadn't come serenade him yet, but he tried to think it was because the Alpha didn't know when his heat was over - there was no way he could know Arthur was in heat in the first place. It was a silly thing to be upset about, but he wanted to see Merlin again, now more than ever.

The next time Merlin came to serenade him, Arthur would talk to him.

Merlin came on Friday, two days after Arthur's heat was over, and once again, Arthur smelt him before he even reached his usual spot with the boom box. He dashed to the window, looking out, watching as Merlin made his way with a skip to his step. When Merlin finally stopped and pressed play, Arthur was thrown aback a little. He didn't know this song, but the beat was different from all the other times and as the singer started singing, Arthur felt his heart beat wildly in his chest.

The lyrics were beautiful and so touching, not to mention that Arthur felt worshiped. If Arthur had any doubts that Merlin really cared for him, thought of him as more than a piece of ass, now he was certain Merlin meant it. He doubted someone would have chosen that song without meaning it, mainly by the choice of words of the song. After his heat, he would have expected Merlin to come up with songs about sex, not songs this romantic. The part where it asked if Arthur wondered bout him too, he wished he could say that yes, he couldn’t stop thinking about him.

Once the song was over, Arthur decided to suck it up and talk to Merlin.

"You should come up." Arthur said from his window. He belatedly noticed that there weren't anyone else in the windows as it usually was and he vaguely remembered Morgana mentioning about a party. Most of them must have gone too, then.

Merlin looked puzzled as he held the boom box down. "I don't know where to go." He said and fuck, Merlin's voice was so beautiful, just like everything on him.

"Room 614." Arthur called out and Merlin smiled and nodded before going to the front door - away from Arthur's view. For the first time since Merlin started serenading him, Lancelot - or any other Beta who made patrols around the Omega building – didn’t show up to tell Merlin off.

Lucky them, then.

Arthur was anxiously waiting for Merlin to come to his room and he fidgeted with his things trying to keep things a little organized, but in no time there was a knock on his door and Arthur had to breathe in and out slowly to try and calm down.

He opened the door with a big smile on his face, but it faltered the moment Merlin's own smile fell and the other man frowned.

"You're not Morgana." Merlin stated, his tone of voice utterly confused.

"Well spotted." Arthur couldn't help but be a little snappy at the comment. "I'm Arthur, Morgana's brother." At that, Merlin seemed to lighten up.

"Oh, I see. Is she here, then?" The Alpha was smiling again and Arthur's heart jumped in his chest when he realized what was going on. Merlin had never meant to serenade him; he had been trying to serenade Morgana this whole time.

"No." By now, Arthur couldn't help the bitterness in his tone since it matched the bitterness he was feeling in his mouth at the discovery. God, he was such an idiot. "Morgana's at a party. And you've been playing your boom box at the wrong place all this time, because her room is in the other side of the building." Arthur couldn't understand how the other man could have gotten so many things wrong, but Arthur was getting confused. Merlin should have been able to tell by the smell, right?

"No, she's here." Merlin said, confusion lacing his words once again and Arthur rolled his eyes and sighed. "I get it that you're her brother, but I think she's old enough to talk to people if she wants to, you don't need to lie to protect her or... whatever it is you're trying to do." Now Arthur was just pissed.

"I'm not trying to do anything! How can you be so sure she's here, anyway?" God, this guy had the nerve to tell Arthur that he knew where Morgana was after serenading her in the wrong place for months.

"I can smell her, she's here." Arthur frowned and gave a sniff, then another. He could smell a faint mixture of the other Omegas of the building, mostly coming from their rooms, but not Morgana - and he would be able to smell her if she was close because he was used to her smell.

Sighing in exasperation, Arthur walked into his room, grabbed his phone from the bedside table and called Morgana as he made his way back to the door, where Merlin was still standing with a dumb look on his face. Fuck, the boy still smelt amazing, though.

"Arthur? Is something the matter?" Morgana's voice was worried, but it was hard to listen due to the sounds in the background. Arthur hit the loudspeaker button so Merlin could hear their conversation.

"Morgana, hi. Guess who came around today." He didn't know if she could tell his anger seeping through his words, but he made sure to look crossly at Merlin to show him that he was displeased.

Morgana actually screamed on the other side of the phone before speaking. "Was it Merlin? Did you finally speak with him? What song did he choose to sweep you off your feet this time?" Arthur wanted to laugh at Merlin's face, the boy was finally looking a bit terrified, probably noticing that he had screwed up. At the same time, though, Arthur wanted to cry; he was embarrassed and pissed and heartbroken. Arthur opened his mouth to talk when Morgana started talking excitedly again. "Oh, I completely forgot to tell you! Merlin could smell you on your heat from his room, on the other side of campus. He had to take a few days off from school, went to spend a few days in a hotel from what I've heard." At that, Arthur blushed, but Merlin's face of shock was enough to make Arthur remember that the Alpha didn't want him.

"Morgana, where are you right now?" Arthur finally asked what he wanted to prove to Merlin that he was wrong.

"Arthur, I told you I had a party to go to. Don't change the subject, I want to hear more about Merlin. Have you two talked?" Morgana asked again and Arthur sighed.

"Yeah, we actually did. And he was serenading this whole time for _you_ , not me." There was silence for a moment before Morgana started laughing.

"Don't be ridiculous, Arthur. He looked at your window whenever he serenaded you and he smelt your heat and he couldn't keep his eyes off you on that party. I know you're afraid he'll be a knothead who won't care for you or your feelings, but from what I've heard, Merlin is a nice guy. Talk to him, give him a chance. And call me when you two finally talk." And with that, Morgana hung up the phone. Arthur pocketed it before looking at Merlin, who was blushing and had a shocked and terrified expression on his face.

They remained in silence for a moment, both trying to avoid each other's eyes, but not quite managing it. Merlin was the first to speak.

"There must be something wrong. You were the one on heat this week? It can't be." Merlin shook his head and Arthur was now feeling offended along with everything else he was feeling.

"Why can't it be?" He crossed his arms and waited for a reply, but Merlin just shook his head.

"I should go. I'm so sorry for... all this." Merlin took his boom box and turned to leave. "I'm sorry!" He said one last time before bolting to the stairs.

**Act V – Hard to Say I’m Sorry, Chicago**

Obviously, Arthur had started avoiding Merlin. Whenever he got a sniff from the Alpha, he would turn on his heels and go on another direction, even if it meant taking longer paths to his classes. Fortunately, though, Arthur rarely crossed paths with Merlin.

Morgana was being an annoying bitch in Arthur's opinion, trying to convince him to go after Merlin and talk to him, ask him out on a date, even after Arthur explained the whole embarrassment he went through the last time he tried talking to Merlin. Morgana just brushed it off as if Merlin would get some sense and realize he had been in love with Arthur this whole time, but Arthur knew it wasn't the case. Merlin's reaction was so upsetting that Arthur couldn't possibly believe the man would ever be interested in him.

And truth be told? The denial made things to Arthur's ego and he couldn't help but feel sorry for himself. Before Merlin, Arthur hadn't been hung on finding someone to date or mate, and now he felt dejected and irrelevant. It sucked, to say the least.

In another attempt to ignore Merlin, Arthur stopped going to parties or to the library focusing on studying only in his room or in the Omega's common room. It did help him improve his grades - not that he needed much improving anyway, but at least studying was a good way to forget Merlin and not to think about their mortifying encounter.

Arthur even went as far as to ask Lancelot and the other Betas responsible for the patrol to double their efforts, to make sure Merlin wouldn’t try to serenade Morgana – or worse, try to explain himself to Arthur. Lancelot admitted to letting Merlin do his serenading because he was friends with the boy and even though he had known it was supposed to have been Morgana, Lancelot couldn’t exactly tell him where to go.

Thankfully enough, it was easy to ignore the Alpha for a whole month, even though Arthur hated to admit that Merlin never really left his thoughts.

It was a Tuesday when Merlin came back, this time with a song about apology. However, Arthur didn’t even look out of the window, just closed the blinds and put his headphones on. He couldn’t help but wonder if the song was for him or Morgana – or even for another Omega altogether. He knew it was Merlin, though, the Alpha’s smell alluring as ever – if not more – and Arthur had to grit his teeth and silently hope Lancelot or another Beta kicked Merlin out of their dorm.

Three torturous minutes later, Merlin’s smell started to grow distant and Arthur sighed in relief.

**Act VI - Venus, Sleeping at Last**

His relief didn’t last another month, though. Merlin was back on a Friday night. Morgana had convinced Arthur of going to a party, but as soon as he smelt Merlin approaching their dorm, he locked himself in his room. Morgana tried to convince him of going nonetheless, but the blonde wouldn’t leave his room. After some time, Morgana huffed and left for the party.

Arthur smelt Merlin and waited for the song to start. Maybe once he saw Morgana was leaving, Merlin would also leave. However, after a moment, the song started. Arthur went to the window just to check if Morgana had left already – not that he could see properly from his room – and not to look if Merlin was actually serenading him this time.

When he opened the window, his eyes fell on Merlin’s instantaneously, and it was obvious that Merlin was serenading him. Arthur groaned and closed the window once more, hating himself for his wishful thinking that the Alpha might have had a change of heart out of nowhere and was now in love with him. The song at least did say so – it was a good choice of song, although not one Arthur knew.

Putting on his headphones once more, Arthur laid on the bed and closed his eyes, breathing through his mouth to avoid smelling the Alpha. He wished Merlin would just stop with the serenading and stop coming to the Omega dorm altogether. If the boy was interested in Morgana, Arthur wished he just straight up went to her and asked her out instead of making this situation embarrassing to all of them.

**Act VII – I Was Made For Loving You, Ed Sheeran and Tori Kelly**

The following day, Arthur was working on one of his last projects of the semester before he went home for the holidays with Morgana when he smelt Merlin arriving. He sighed and looked pointedly at his notebook, trying to read some of the articles he would use as base for his paper, but none of the words were actually sticking to his brain at that moment.

Arthur held his breath when Merlin was closer enough to start playing his song, but the sound never came. He frowned and dared look out of the window, and he noticed there was no one there. Merlin’s smell, however, was close, and Arthur looked down quizzically for a moment before sighing from his stupidity and going back to his desk to study.

A few minutes later, and he hadn’t managed to read a single paragraph; Merlin’s smell was getting closer and closer and Arthur couldn’t properly _think_. Was Merlin finally determined to ask Morgana out?

Before he could continue his self-pity, there was a knock on his door. Arthur looked at it for a few seconds, wondering if he could ignore it, because it was clear that it was Merlin by the strong smell coming from outside. But no. Arthur was a strong Omega and he would face Merlin if the Alpha had the courage to come to his room – even after what had happened the last time he had gone there.

Gathering up the courage to face Merlin, Arthur stood up and walked slowly to his bedroom door. He breathed in and out slowly before finally opening the door. The Alpha had a sheepish smile on his face and they just looked at each other for what felt like an eternity, until Arthur finally broke the silence.

“What do you want?” His tone was harsh, and for a moment Arthur wondered if he was being immature, but Merlin had made things uncomfortable for him; Arthur had honestly thought he could fall in love with an Alpha who was nice and caring, and Merlin destroyed that before anything could even happen, so perhaps he was right in being in the defensive.

“Uh…” Merlin started, his smile faltering for a brief moment before he managed to open one even bigger and brighter. “I wanted to ask you on a date.” Arthur arched an eyebrow at that, wondering if he had heard correctly, and due to his silence, Merlin continued speaking, growing more nervous than ever. “I, uh… I wanted to apologize for that time and I really would love to take you out on a date. If you want, of course. If you want nothing to do with me, that’s okay too and I’ll stop with the serenades and will leave you alone.”

Arthur continued staring at the Alpha as if the man had two heads instead of one, and he honestly did not know what to do. He wanted to close the door on Merlin’s face, but he also wanted to accept and give the Alpha a chance because his smell was so appealing and he was so close and he looked so handsome—

Forcing himself to stop his track of thoughts, Arthur licked his lips and considered Merlin’s earnest expression. The Alpha seemed to be speaking the truth, but it still hurt what had happened between them; Arthur felt ashamed and an idiot and he wanted to understand what had happened.

“Will you tell me what was all that about?” Arthur asked instead of answering. If Merlin gave him a sound explanation, he might consider going on a date with him. Merlin looked chastised enough by his question but he gave a quick nod.

“I thought I could explain while I took you on the date.” He looked around, noticing some Omegas looking out of their rooms, probably because they smelt an Alpha so nearby and Arthur, noticing what was going on, sighed and pinched his nose in annoyance.

“Right. Okay. I’ll change and I’ll meet you downstairs.” Merlin’s smile brightened once more and Arthur hated to admit that Merlin had a gorgeous smile. Merlin left him to his own devices and Arthur put on some warm clothes, seeing that it was winter already. He hesitated for a moment before adding some perfume, but decided against it; if Merlin had smelt his heat, his Omega smell would be enough to impress Merlin.

It was the middle of the afternoon, so when he got downstairs as well, Merlin suggested they go to a café. Arthur agreed. Even though the sky was clear, the wind was chilly and it would be nice to have a hot beverage in this fine day. They walked in silence, stealing glances from each other when they thought the other wasn’t looking. The silence was a little uncomfortable, at least for Arthur it was, but he refused to be the one to start talking. If Merlin was serious about taking him out, the man needed to prove it.

They arrived at the café some time later and Merlin asked what Arthur would like to drink. Arthur chose a simple hot chocolate, not wanting to add caffeine to his anxious feelings towards Merlin. The Alpha paid for their drinks and they chose a more recluse table near a window. They each gave a sip of their drinks and tried to avoid each other’s eyes – Arthur out of spite and Merlin out of embarrassment.

“So.” Merlin said, clearing his throat and looking at Arthur, cheeks growing red. “This is not really something easy to admit, and it may be hard to listen to as well, and for that I apologize. But I wanted to explain the… mix-up that happened.” Arthur nodded, sipping more of his hot chocolate and waiting for the man to start talking. “When I first, uh… Felt your smell, you and Morgana were together, walking around campus. I didn’t actually notice _you_ at first, because, hm… I’ve never been attracted to a male Omega before. And Morgana is stunning, so I thought that wonderful smell was coming off her. It made sense that the smell that was so appealing to me came from someone who I also thought was gorgeous.”

Merlin trailed off for a moment when he saw Arthur’s murderous face and he gulped, looking down for a moment before forcing himself to face the Omega and continue talking. Meanwhile, Arthur wanted to leave; it was nice knowing his smell had such an impact on Merlin, but he did not want to hear about how beautiful his sister was from the guy he might have a crush on.

“I’m quite shy when it comes to romance, so I didn’t have the courage to talk to Morgana. Besides, she seemed out of reach, so I thought of serenading her. I talked to Lancelot, who’s my friend, and he agreed to let me play a song for her before escorting me out. I followed the smell, the smell I thought was hers, and played the song. That first day, I didn’t see her, but I kept looking to where I thought the smell was coming from. I came back again and again, and then I felt the most amazing smell I’ve ever felt in my entire life. I wanted to go to the Omega dorm and _claim_ , mix that smell with my own, and it was then that I knew I should leave the hell out of campus. I would never force myself on anyone, mainly someone who was on their heat, but I felt so out of control, that the best option was to go away. Up to this, I still believed it was Morgana, not you.”

Arthur had to admit that it made sense; part of him was thrilled that Merlin was crazy for his smell, that he wanted him so badly that he had to go further away from him so he wouldn’t disrespect Arthur during his heat. However, another part of him was upset that Merlin didn’t notice the smell came off him and that he hadn’t complimented anything about Arthur aside from his smell. Before he could drown in self-pity, however, Merlin continued speaking.

“Then you asked me to your room that day. I was confused at first, because I couldn’t understand why you’d tell me to meet Morgana. I was even more confused when you opened the door and she wasn’t there. When I realised I had been smelling you this whole time, I had kind of an identity crisis. You were a male Omega, gorgeous, yes, but a man, and I had never been the least attracted to male Omegas before. But then I put some thought into it, and I realised I’ve never been affected by someone’s smell the way I have with yours. I was physically attracted to female Omegas who had a nice smell, but it wasn’t as intense as it had been with you. I had never smelt an Omega in heat from such a distance before. I worried, though, that I would only think your smell was appealing, and not your body, and, uh…”

Merlin trailed off, blushing violently and Arthur frowned, unsure about the reason why Merlin trailed off after managing to explain himself for so long, after many other embarrassing things. Arthur waited, though, afraid that if he interrupted Merlin’s train of thought, he might not finish what he had to say and Arthur was curious.

“I talked to some of your friends, even Morgana came to talk to me, ready to start a fight for breaking your heart. We had a talk that day. She told me more about you, showed me pictures of your social media and I couldn’t help but think you were the most gorgeous Omega I had ever seen. Still, I was worried, and Morgana suggested I, uh…” Merlin lowered his voice then, averting his eyes to the table. “She suggested I watched some porn with male Omegas in it.”

It was Arthur’s turn to blush and his eyes widened at the thought of the Alpha watching porn. He averted his own eyes and drank more of his hot chocolate, trying to play it cool, but his cheeks were on fire. Merlin cleared his throat and continued speaking.

“I found one with a blonde male Omega in it and… fuck, it was so hot.” Merlin brought both hands to cover his eyes and this time Arthur was dumbstruck by the Alpha’s bold admission. They remained in silence for a brief moment until Merlin finally put his hands down. “It was then that I decided I should come back and serenade you instead. I was too ashamed to come talk to you in person at first, which was why I serenaded you again. But you were avoiding me, with reason!” He added quickly as Arthur raised an eyebrow. “So I just… thought it would be easier to go straight to you and ask you out. And here we are.” Merlin moved a hand absent-mindedly before taking his beverage and drinking from it for a long moment. “Can you… I mean… Do you believe it’s possible for you to give me a chance, even after what I’ve done?”

Arthur remained silent for a moment, finishing his hot chocolate before sighing. Merlin was handsome, his smell was delicious and he had a good reason for what had happened. It wouldn’t hurt to give the Alpha a chance, would it?

“Alright. We can give this a chance.” Arthur agreed, unsure if he made the right decision. Merlin’s smile was so blinding, so giddy that Arthur got more certain that this might work out, after all.  “It does not mean we’re dating. We’re going out to know more about each other. Even though our smells are appealing to one another, we need to know if we have chemistry in anything else.” Merlin still had a bright smile and he nodded eagerly.

“I know. I didn’t expect anything different. In fact, I was expecting you to deny me since I asked you out. I’m glad you’re giving me a chance.” Merlin said, finishing his drink as well, with a sparkle in his eyes. Arthur blushed and looked away.

“Well, I should be going back now. I need to finish a paper before the holidays.” Merlin seemed to deflate at that, but his smile didn’t falter.

“May I accompany you?” Arthur considered it for a moment before nodding. They stood up and made their way out of the café. Halfway to the Omega dorms, Merlin spoke again. “Would it, uh, be okay if we held hands?” He did not look at Arthur when he spoke and the Omega couldn’t help but think it was endearing to meet an Alpha so bashful like Merlin.

“Sure.” Arthur answered, already taking Merlin’s hand. It was the first time they touched and Arthur was certain he felt sparks fly. He didn’t want to let go of Merlin anymore, and the Omega in him wanted to walk even closer, maybe with Merlin’s arm around him, but he refused to ask for such a thing.

They walked in silence back to the dorms and this time, the silence was comfortable. Arthur understood Merlin’s confusion, not to mention that he thought the Alpha was sweet and romantic, things most Alphas failed to realise they needed to be. If Merlin was honestly interested in him, and it seemed like he was, this could be the start of something beautiful.

Merlin left Arthur on the doors of the dorm, not being bold enough to take him to his room, and they said their goodbyes with matching bashful smiles. Arthur returned to his room and changed to more comfortable clothes and after a moment he grabbed his phone and called Morgana, telling her what had just happened; while he didn’t like her being nosy about his life, he’d rather have her know about this from him than from gossip.

Morgana confessed talking to Merlin and was glad that she did, because now her brother would have a chance at love. After they hung up, Arthur went back to his desk to work on his project, but after an hour or two, Merlin’s smell started coming closer again and Arthur frowned, going to the window without thinking twice about it. Merlin stopped at the same place as always with his boom box, eyes fixed on Arthur’s room, smile playing on his lips as he saw Arthur there.

The song started and Arthur couldn’t believe how gorgeous the song was. He knew this song, so the lyrics came to mind before it was even sung. He had a silly smile on his face as he watched Merlin, their eyes locked together.

Yes, this most certainly was the start of something beautiful.

**Act VIII – King and Lionheart, Of Monsters And Men**

Their second date was one day before Arthur went home for the holidays. They hadn’t seen each other in a few days, but they had been texting whenever they had some free time between classes. They both managed to finish all their papers and would finally be able to see each other for a whole day.

They decided to meet around eleven for brunch – both wanted to sleep after the last days of relentless studying, so waking up early was out of the question. Merlin went to the Omega’s building to meet with Arthur, and together they went to a restaurant off campus that was quite famous among the students. It was easy talking to Merlin, Arthur thought, mainly after they started exchanging texts. Merlin was funny, and quite snarky too, and Arthur was shocked to see he liked it when Merlin had a sassy reply slipping through his lips. At first, Merlin had been self-conscious of his replies, but after Arthur told him it was okay to be himself, the Alpha felt more comfortable and confident, and Arthur loved every part of Merlin that was being shown to him.

After eating, they aimlessly took a walk around town, just talking. Merlin told Arthur about his childhood; about how his father was never in the picture and how his Omega mother raised him with barely nothing. About how he never had any Alpha to look up to, so didn’t know how to act when he first presented as an Alpha, which was also the reason why he never really got along with other Alphas in the first place. He told Arthur he didn’t even know how he managed to join this University, but he was glad that he did. Merlin was majoring in English and Literature, and he was taking some dead languages classes since he joined University, because it was what appealed to him the most. Merlin also mentioned how horrible he was playing any kind of sports – or doing anything that needed his physical strength in any way for that matter – which also explained a lot about him.

Merlin also talked about his long time friendship with Lancelot and Gwen, and how he helped them get together in the first place; and later on how they all met Gwaine and unexpectedly became friends with. He also talked more about how he had never considered dating a male Omega before, even with Gwaine constantly making propositions to him, but now that he was having this chance with Arthur, he couldn’t see it happening any other way. Arthur didn’t plan on falling more in love with Merlin than he had already, but it seemed to be a lost cause.

Arthur, on the other hand, told Merlin how it was to grow up with only an Alpha father in the household, that his mother died due to a complication in his birth, and that even though he hadn’t actually met her, she was still an inspiration for him to his day. However, Uther had always expected his son to be an Alpha, so Arthur always followed his father’s steps; playing sports, being outspoken. It was a tragedy when he had his first heat. Uther wouldn’t look him in the eye for weeks to come and Arthur was at a complete loss, not knowing what to do with his new status.

Shortly after that, Morgana moved in with them. She had presented as an Omega the year before and she was the bastard daughter of Uther, but the man had thought it would be a good idea to unite both siblings now that they both were Omegas. At first, Arthur had thought Uther was doing this because he didn’t want Arthur to be the one responsible for the family’s company, as Arthur had been training all his life to do, but Morgana’s presence in the house ended up being a blessing.

She didn’t let anyone downplay her, she was sure of herself and didn’t let anyone, not even Uther, order her around. She decided to study music and fashion regardless of Uther’s demands and Arthur couldn’t help but feel empowered by her. Together, they created an alliance Arthur had never thought he would have with another person. Uther could still be disappointed at them, but he too learned that his children couldn’t be messed with, and Arthur was indeed the best choice for the future of the company. After all, Arthur honestly enjoyed studying Business and he did hope to become the company’s CEO one day.

After talking about their lives for so long, they decided to catch a movie before going to dinner. The movie was a mixture of romcom and action that ended up working pretty well, and they both enjoyed quite a lot. For dinner, Arthur said he’d pay – since he knew Merlin didn’t have much money to spend on a whim – and they talked some more, this time about the University and some plans for the future.

“I mean, I wish it was easy to find a job as a translator for the dead languages, but from what my professors said, it’s almost impossible. I’ll probably end up being a teacher.” Merlin said with a disappointing shrug. “Apparently the people who work with that already have people being trained to get their jobs once they retire. And I’m only starting now.”

“You shouldn’t give up, though. Try it for as long as it takes, and meanwhile you can be a teacher. Or maybe even a writer. Didn’t you tell me you enjoy poetry?” Arthur asked, and he was happy with himself that it made Merlin blush.

“Well, yeah. But I don’t know if I’d be any good. Although…” Merlin lowered his eyes for a moment before forcing himself to look into Arthur’s eyes. “I might have a muse now, so I probably should take a shot at that.”

Arthur remained silent for a moment, eyes wide open at Merlin’s words. It shouldn’t have sounded as sweet as it did. But, damn, Merlin was a romantic at heart and it was obvious he wouldn’t stop saying and doing things that took Arthur’s breath away. Arthur ended up smiling at that, a blush on his face as well. They ordered and ate, talking about other random subjects. Once they were finished, Merlin took Arthur back to the Omega’s building, where they continued talking at the door for another fifteen minutes.

When the subject was finally over, they both smiled at each other. They didn’t really want to leave, and Arthur for a moment even wondered how much it took for them to get to where they were right now. He was so thankful he gave Merlin a chance. The Alpha had been nothing but a gentleman the whole night, never stepping over his boundaries or making Arthur feel uncomfortable in any way. And now, Arthur wanted nothing more to kiss Merlin good night before leaving the next morning for his father’s home.

“I, uh, I should probably leave.” Merlin said, but he didn’t move.

Arthur thought that it was now or never and gave a step closer to Merlin, one of his hands on Merlin’s, the other going to the Alpha’s face. Merlin blushed, but he mirrored Arthur. Slowly, they leaned in; eyes closing as they felt each other’s breath against their lips. Arthur almost sighed in delight when their lips met. As it was to be expected, Merlin’s lips were soft, if a little chapped due to the cold. The kiss, being so tender and so incredibly amazing, combined with Merlin’s alluring smell made _things_ to Arthur. For a moment, he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to let go of Merlin and things would escalate much quicker than it should. But Merlin, ever the gentleman, put some distance between them after a moment.

“I should really get going now.” Merlin said, and Arthur felt it was implicit that if Merlin didn’t leave, they’d end up going to Arthur’s room and making out – or even fucking. But it was too soon, they weren’t even official yet and Arthur needed to be certain that Merlin wasn’t going to break his heart yet again – although he had understood what had happened previously, it still didn’t change the fact that it would be even worse this time if Merlin ended up breaking his heart.

“Yeah, you probably should.” Arthur could not believe how a close-mouthed kiss could shake them so badly, make them _want_ each other so badly, but apparently it could happen. With the most beautiful smile Arthur had ever seen, Merlin gave a little peck on his lips again before finally leaving. Arthur watched him for a moment before forcing himself to get to his room.

 

Christmas and New Year’s was always weirdly cosy with Morgana and their father. Uther still lacked the skills to deal with his Omega children, but he had been trying. He was not a bad father, not now at least. He had, after all, lost a lot in his life, and he didn’t wish to lose his children because he couldn’t understand how they worked. Morgana always ended up being the one who made their holidays more bearable, making them play silly games with each other and actually enjoy each other’s company.

Regardless of that, Arthur still couldn’t stop thinking about Merlin. They texted enough throughout the holiday, but Arthur wanted to see the Alpha, to go out with him again, to hold his hand and kiss him. It was ridiculous how in love Arthur felt, but it was the first time it happened, and he was glad it had been Merlin. Sure, they had had that little misunderstanding, but Merlin was a sweet, caring Alpha, and it was hard to find more Alphas like him.

It was also amazing how well they clicked; not only their smells were so alluring to each other, but they also had great chemistry in conversation, not to mention the physical attraction that had been there, but clearly avoided since none of them wanted to go too far too soon. Although, if Arthur was being honest with himself, it was a silly thing to worry about right? Wrong; Arthur felt that once they had sex, it would be highly difficult for them not to mate, and for _that_ , they needed to be certain. After all, mating was for life.

 

Almost two weeks later, Arthur and Morgana returned to university. Merlin knew he would be back, but Arthur said he wanted the first day to get his things sorted before they could go out again, so they had already planning to meet the following day.

However, while he was putting his clothes away, he smelt Merlin getting closer and he sighed – although he had a lovesick smile on his face. He was going to see the boy he was so in love with after all. Arthur was already expecting either a text from Merlin to ask him to meet him downstairs, or Merlin simply getting into the building and coming to his room; but when neither of that happened, Arthur went to his window. And, surely enough, there Merlin was with his boom box.

Arthur laughed happily and he could see the happiness in Merlin’s eyes as he started the music. They stayed there, looking at each other while the song played; a song Arthur loved, and he remembered telling Merlin about how much he enjoyed Of Monsters And Men. After the song was over, Merlin blew him a kiss and was ready to leave when Arthur yelled:

“Wait!” Merlin did just that, looking a bit puzzled. Arthur decided to call Merlin, while still looking at him from the window. Merlin instantly picked it up and his voice was like a balm to Arthur’s ears. “We should date.”

There was a moment of silence on the phone, and Arthur could see Merlin’s eyes widening. Heart hammering against his chest, Arthur was ready to go back on his words, but then Merlin smiled and spoke. “Nothing would make me happier.” Arthur laughed; a little in relief, a little from happiness. They kept looking at each other for a moment before Merlin finally spoke again. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, _boyfriend_.” Arthur laughed again before nodding.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

**Act IX – May I, Trading Yesterday**

Arthur and Merlin had been dating for a couple of months and Arthur’s heat was quickly approaching. They hadn’t had sex yet; it had been an unspoken agreement that they wouldn’t do it, fearing they might end up losing their minds and bonding too soon. Morgana would often tell Arthur that he was being ridiculous, but Arthur could feel that his instincts would take over with Merlin if they got too physical with each other. And then, there would be no turning back.

Not that he was unhappy. On the contrary, Merlin was an amazing person and as the days went by, Arthur was proven again and again that the Alpha might actually be the one for him. Still, if they decided to mate, there would cause a terrible uproar due to who Arthur’s father was that. It was unthinkable to mate without introducing Merlin to Uther first, to let his father know who he decided to mate. However, the thought of Uther agreeing with his choice was laughable, so Arthur had no clue of what to do.

Two weeks before his heat, Merlin asked them to meet to talk about something of importance. Arthur thought nothing of it and went the café where they had their first date to meet with his Alpha. Merlin looked nervous from his tapping legs and twitchy fingers on his coffee, and Arthur grew a little anxious. When Merlin saw him, he opened a smile, which made Arthur relax a little bit more. They kissed quickly before Arthur sat opposite from Merlin, taking his own coffee in hand.

“So? What is it that you wanted to talk about?” Arthur asked as casually as he could, sipping on his beverage. Thankfully enough, Merlin didn’t hesitate in answer.

“I wanted to talk about us. Your heat is in a few weeks and I don’t know if I’ll be able to stay in the same city as you, knowing I could reach you if I tried.” Merlin blushed, but he had a pained expression in his face. “So I was hoping you could go to your father’s house. I don’t know where it is and I wouldn’t be able to follow you. And, well, you mentioned it’s heavily guarded, so even if I did manage to get to you, I doubt anyone would let me in.” Arthur had to blink a few times to understand what Merlin was saying.

This amazing person was asking him to go as far away as he could just so he wouldn’t force himself on Arthur, even though it would be their instincts taking over. However, Arthur understood how Merlin felt. Last time, Arthur still remembered wanting to go after Merlin and just getting mated and impregnated, and the thought, now that he was in sane mind, terrified him. It didn’t stop being adorable, though, that Merlin wanted to make sure he would be alright. It only made him more certain he wanted Merlin to be his for the rest of his life.

Arthur leant forward, taking both of Merlin’s hands in his and looked deeply into his eyes. “Perhaps we should mate.” Merlin’s eyes opened comically wide and he was about to speak before Arthur cut him and continued talking. “I know we’ve been together for a short while, but I’m certain there is no one else as perfect as you for me.” Arthur licked his lips and tried to smile. “If we do mate, now or in the future, I just wish it to be off my heat. I want to be conscious of everything. I want to remember everything.”

Merlin opened and closed his mouth a few times, and Arthur realized he probably shouldn’t have been so bold. But then, Merlin replied. “Are you sure?”

They remained in silence for a moment, actually thinking about it. Damn, Arthur honestly wanted that. He would love to mate with Merlin and claim him as his own for the rest of their lives. They had incredible chemistry in all things, and apart from the misunderstanding from the beginning, they hadn’t had any other problems – it hadn’t even been awkward with Morgana, who fully embraced their relationship.

They complemented each other beautifully. Both of them weren’t like the stereotypical Alphas and Omegas. Merlin was subdued and sweet, whereas Arthur was bossy and outgoing. In fact, Arthur had realised soon enough that Merlin could be snarky and sarcastic whenever Arthur was being bossy and ordering him – and other people – around, but it was obvious that Merlin found it amazing and even a little hot.

Not to mention that Arthur had never actually met an Alpha who wasn’t a pretentious dick, who thought they’d be able to sweep Arthur off his feet with some words of dominance and, in his point of view, creepiness. Merlin was just so worth the risk.

“I am. Even if there is another Alpha out there who’s sweet, funny, kind and, well, not a total knothead—“ Because, after all, Merlin had suggested to go far away from each other so nothing could happen, while other Alphas would boldly insinuate themselves to Omegas near their heats. “—they won’t be _you_. And I know it’s been a few months, but I’m completely in love with you and I want you to be mine. _I_ want to be _yours_.” It was so big a statement coming from Arthur. However, he knew Merlin would not make him regret saying these words.

Merlin had a dumbstruck expression in his face, and he was holding Arthur’s hands with all his might, not wanting to let go. “I was so afraid. I screwed up in the beginning and I was unsure if it would make you doubt about my intentions or my love for you. And I do love you, Arthur. At first I was drawn to you by your smell, then when I met you, I was attracted to your beauty and wit, but now? Now there’s not a single thing I don’t love about you. I mean, sure, you can be really annoying sometimes, but even then… Even then, all I can think is that you’re adorable and perfect. But, Arthur. Should we really mate now? Should we meet each other’s parent and, I don’t know. Ask for their blessing or something?”

At that, Arthur chuckled and shook his head. “Uther will never give his blessing. While I don’t think he’d ever come up with an arranged marriage for me, I’m sure he expects me to mate with someone with status. Which isn’t what I’m looking for, clearly. And I’d love to meet your mum, and if you want me to meet her before we do it, I’ll gladly do it.” Although, Arthur wished they could mate now, before this heat, so they could spend the heat together.

Merlin frowned and thought about it for a moment, and Arthur was getting anxious once more. “Can I think about it?” Arthur nodded, feeling a bit deflated. “I mean. My mum is everything for me and I feel like I’d be betraying her if I didn’t talk to her first.” Arthur smiled fondly for his boyfriend.

“It’s okay. We still have a few days if we wish to do this before this heat. And if we don’t do it, we’ll have time to plan everything, to make everything official without rushing.” It was all up to Merlin now.

After finishing their drinks, they walked back to campus hand in hand, talking about school and friends. Arthur didn’t want to admit that he was disappointed that Merlin wasn’t going to fuck him that night. But well, what else had he expected from his beloved Alpha?

They didn’t talk about this for a few days. Arthur was even making his preparations to go to his father’s home during his heat. Nevertheless, it was four days before his heat when Arthur got a text from Morgana saying: _Go to your window_. So Arthur opened the window and looked out of it just as Merlin was approaching with the boom box. The familiar sight made Arthur’s heat beat faster and a smile to open on his face. When he noticed all windows on this side of the dorm to open up and many heads to pop out of it to watch, Arthur grew a little self-conscious, but it wouldn’t be the first time other people watched Merlin serenade him.

The song didn’t start right away, though. Gwaine, Lancelot, Gwen and Morgana showed up with arms full of flowers and they laid them all on the floor around Merlin in a heart shape before scurrying out of there so Merlin could hit the play button.

Arthur didn’t know this song, but it touched his heart in a way that it hadn’t before. Arthur wanted to yell yes for every question made in the song, but instead he kept his eyes locked with Merlin’s; after all, everyone else was silent, or so Arthur thought, because he couldn’t hear a thing, his world focused solely on his beloved Alpha. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be wishful thinking to believe Merlin was about to say that he had decided to indeed mate with Arthur.

And as it seemed, once the song was over, Merlin smiled and shouted: “Arthur Pendragon, may I have the honour of being your mate?”

It was then that Arthur realised they were in public, as all the Omegas in their dorm cheered. Blushing, but with the biggest smile he could muster, Arthur yelled back: “Obviously!” All the Omegas cheered louder, someone even brought a couple fireworks, making the night sky colourful as it exploded over their heads. Merlin and Arthur couldn’t stop smiling at each other from the distance, and if it weren’t for Morgana entering his room and telling him to go to his Alpha, Arthur would have stayed there, not knowing how to react.

Adrenaline was soaring through his body as Arthur made his way down the stairs and out of the dorm, running to meet with Merlin who was still waiting for him there. He ran to the Alpha and hugged him, claiming his lips in a fiery kiss and, once again, the dorm yelled and whistled and clapped happily for them.

“I honestly thought you wouldn’t want to mate me so soon.” Arthur said in a low voice, so just the two of them could hear. Merlin, holding Arthur by the waist, closely to his body, could only sigh before giving Arthur another kiss.

“I know it’s the most reasonable thing to do. I thought I’d be able to wait a while longer. But, Arthur. I can’t. I can’t think of you going through your heat alone when I could be helping you. I _am_ your Alpha. I know this in my core since I smelt you all those months back. And I don’t want to be a knothead, but the Alpha in me wants to protect you and take care of you. At least in this moment, when you’re in heat, so I can make sure you’ll drink water and you’ll eat and you’ll be well fucked. It’s my job. You can be bossy every other moment, and I know you can fend for yourself. But for this…” Merlin shook his head, but Arthur understood.

Arthur liked being in control and liked things his way; but during a heat, he’d be so out of himself, that he had no idea if he’d be able to take care of himself. After all, the Omega in him knew he had an Alpha, even though they hadn’t mated yet, and it would probably drive him crazy to be away from his Alpha during his heat. On the other hand, Merlin was right. It would be more reasonable to wait, to plan, to discuss the plans with their families before officially mating.

“Let’s do this. I know, deep inside, that I’ll never regret this. Let’s do this tonight.” Arthur said with conviction, and Merlin opened a grateful smile before pulling his Omega close and kissing him once more.

**Act X – Salvation, Gabrielle Aplin**

Arthur and Merlin decided to go to a hotel for their first time, but then they’d go to Arthur’s home to have a safe place during Arthur’s heat. Arthur let Uther know he’d be staying during his heat, so his father decided to spend a few days travelling, just so he wouldn’t have to deal with his son having one of his heats, which was wonderful for Arthur, since he didn’t exactly want to tell Uther about Merlin so soon. Once it was over, they could all have a conversation.

Arthur took them to the most expensive hotel in the city – also one of the most discreet – and rented a room for the night. By morning he’d be mated and they would go to Arthur’s home, and after that, they’d have to deal with the University to get a couple’s room. For now, however, they only had to focus on mating.

Once in their rooms, they both felt anxious, but also delightfully happy. They smiled for each other before slowly going to each other. Merlin took Arthur by his waist and Arthur brought his hands to Merlin’s face and with a last smile, they kissed. The kiss was slowly and tender at first, but it soon became hotter and more demanding. Knowing they’d have sex and _mate_ , made them extremely turned on. Arthur’s smell soon filled the whole room. Slick was already coming out of him and Merlin’s cock was so hard against his own that Arthur didn’t even think it would last that long.

However, Merlin kept on surprising him. When Arthur went to take Merlin’s clothes off, the Alpha held his hands and broke the kiss, smiling fondly before taking him to the bed. Before lying on the bed, Merlin kissed Arthur again. He brought his hands to Arthur’s shirt and started opening it slowly. Arthur was frantic and wanted to rip their clothes off, but the Alpha wouldn’t let him. Leaving the Omega shirtless, Merlin started kissing Arthur’s neck and shoulder, which prompted delicious moans from the Omega.

Merlin took off his own shirt a while later and kissed Arthur, but not before touching their chests together. This was the most skin on skin they had ever gotten and they both sighed in delight at the feeling. They continued kissing for a while, Arthur slowly rocking his hips forward to get some friction on his dick, even though what he needed was his Alpha’s cock in his ass; but his Alpha was trying to go slow, so that would have to wait.

Not much long after, Merlin started unzipping Arthur’s trousers, which Arthur quickly mirrored, trying to get the last piece of fabric away from their bodies. Kicking off his shoes and then trousers once they were down. Merlin did the same and finally, they were naked. Arthur had to actually take a step back to appreciate his Alpha’s figure. Merlin was so thin, so lean, so unlike most Alphas, that it drove Arthur insane. His cock, however, was thick and long, his knot at the base already wanting to start growing, and Arthur wanted to drop on his all fours in that instant. Merlin probably sensed his plan and brought him for yet another kiss before making Arthur lie down.

“We’re taking things slow, remember? I want to claim every inch of your body. We can mindlessly fuck during your heat. Right now, I’ll thoroughly fuck you.” The smile he gave Arthur was _filthy_. They kissed again, Arthur’s legs going around Merlin’s legs, and for a few moments, they rutted against each other while kissing passionately.

After a moment, Merlin started kissing Arthur’s neck, his teeth grazing the skin and making Arthur shiver from anticipation for the mating bite. However, Merlin didn’t bite him yet. He only kissed and sucked on the skin of his neck and shoulder and then started making his way down his body, first paying attention at Arthur’s nipples – which weren’t all that sensitive, but somehow what Merlin was doing was driving Arthur insane – and then at his navel, dipping his tongue inside teasingly. When Arthur was about to beg for Merlin to just do something – preferably fuck him – Merlin put most of Arthur’s dick in his mouth, giving it a nice suck.

It was so unexpected that Arthur couldn’t help but moan loudly. Alphas usually didn’t pay much attention to Omegas’ cocks. Most Alphas enjoyed sucking and licking Omegas’ holes, but cocks were altogether ignored; so for Merlin to so unabashedly do it without any hesitation, made Arthur laugh and moan in delight. Because even though Arthur had the most pleasure on his ass, having his dick played with was bliss. Arthur even wondered how Merlin managed to be so close to his leaking ass and not forgo completely from his cock and just savour his slick.

Arthur’s hands went to Merlin’s soft hair, which made the Alpha moan and suck even more enthusiastically. It was really hard for Arthur to have an orgasm from his dick only, but he was certain Merlin would love to spend hours there if it meant giving Arthur any kind of pleasure. And while that was a magnificent idea, it wasn’t what they were there for.

“C’mon, Merlin. We’ll have the rest of our lives for that.” Arthur whined, opening his legs even wider. Merlin let go of his cock, but instead of giving any attention to his arse, he went back up and kissed Arthur desperately. Merlin’s cock rubbed against Arthur’s and both of them sighed in the kiss.

“Can I do it now?” Merlin asked when they separated for breath.

“Yeah, _yeah_ , c’mon.” Arthur begged, and Merlin was ready to get his cock in hand and guide it to his hole. He played with the rim, smearing the slick on the head of his dick, and Arthur was going wild with lust.

Then _finally_ , it was in.

Arthur basically shouted; not having anything before Merlin’s cock to ease the way in, made his insides burn deliciously and the cock was so perfect – not so big to hurt, but not so small to not be properly felt – that Arthur was in paradise.

Even though Arthur wasn’t on his heat, what followed was as frantic as it would have been during a heat. They had waited months for this, not to mention that both their smells were even better together, which drove them crazy. Arthur’s legs were around Merlin’s waist, moving his hips and legs in synchrony to help Merlin fuck him wildly. Merlin, on the other hand, has his arms around his Omega, hugging him close and kissing and sucking on his neck. His knot was still deflated, but Arthur could already feel it at every movement.

“How can you smell so good?” Merlin groaned, sucking harder on Arthur’s neck, probably where he’d put his mating bite. “Your neck, your slick, fuck, you’re the hottest Omega.” Apparently, Merlin was so beyond himself that he had no filter on. “I can’t believe I found you, I can’t believe you wanted me, fuck, I fucking love you so much.”

For some inexplicable reason, that prompted an orgasm out of Arthur, who yelled Merlin’s name while spurting most slick out of his ass and dick. Merlin grunted and fucked Arthur even harder, his knot growing and starting to catch on Arthur’s rim. The Omega’s nails were craved on Merlin’s back, holding onto him for dear life. Merlin’s teeth were already positioned on Arthur’s gland on his neck, where would seal them as mated for the rest of their lives. When his knot finally popped, locking them together, Merlin bit hard enough to draw blood from Arthur, who screamed and came all over again; Merlin’s own come was flooding out of him and into Arthur.

Their breathing was laboured for a moment as their bodies slowly relaxed. Merlin’s teeth were still in Arthur’s flesh, not wanting to let go, even though it was clear from the shift in their smells that their bond had been completed. Arthur was blissfully in peace. If before that he had any doubts he wanted to mate with Merlin – which he honestly didn’t – now he was certain there wouldn’t be anyone as perfect for him as his Alpha.

_His Alpha_.

That sounded so right, so perfect.

And so official.

However, now it was time to enjoy themselves and their newly made bond. They could handle Uther and the University after Arthur’s heat.

When Merlin finally let go from his neck, he kissed the mark and then Arthur’s lips. “How are you?” Merlin asked in a husky voice, hand going to carefully stroke Arthur’s sweaty face.

“Never been better.” Arthur’s voice almost failed, probably due to all the screaming. Merlin opened a happy, contagious smile that made Arthur smile as well. Nonetheless, Merlin soon started smiling bashfully, a blush forming on his cheeks. Arthur raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“I, uh…” Merlin said, hiding his face on Arthur’s neck for a brief moment before looking up again. “I wanted to show you one more song. Just… Well, because we’re mated now. And I felt I couldn’t stop with the tradition right now.” Arthur couldn’t help but laugh at his Alpha – ridiculous, adorable, _lovable_ Alpha.

“It would make our night even more perfect. So, please, play on.” Arthur replied with a smile and Merlin was obviously happy by his reply.

“One problem, though. My phone’s on my trousers. And they are on the floor.” They remained on silence for a moment before bursting out laughing together. Merlin’s knot hadn’t deflated yet, so it would be impossible for them to get the phone without hurting themselves.

 

When Merlin’s knot finally went down, they stretched themselves to pop some muscles and Merlin got his phone. Arthur continued lying down, this time on his side to look at his Alpha. Merlin, on the other hand, lied on his stomach at his Omega’s side and went through his phone until a song finally came along.

Arthur didn’t know this song, but it touched Arthur even deeper than the last song. Every line of the song was the definition of them. They hadn’t meant to fall in love, but they were quickly drawn to each other by their smells, and later by their chemistry in everything else. And now they had a future in front of them. Was it too wild to consider each other’s salvation? Arthur honestly didn’t think so; now their future was open in front of them, a variety of possibilities was within reach. They were invincible now that they were together, there was no doubt in that.

When the song was over, Arthur noticed Merlin looking at him in anticipation, and Arthur couldn’t help but lay even closer to his Alpha and kiss him tenderly.

“I love you. And I hope you never stop serenading me. Even years from now, I wish you can still listen to beautiful songs and think of me.” Arthur said, eyes locked with each other’s. The smile that opened in Merlin’s face was the most gorgeous he had ever seen.

“I can’t think of a day going by without serenading you. I wish I could do it more often, but, well, I wasn’t even supposed to get in the Omega’s dorms in the first place, so I can’t test my luck.” Arthur nodded, in agreement.

“We’ll probably get rooms together once we get back from my heat, and you’ll have every single day to serenade me.” Merlin laughed, pulling his Omega close and giving him pecks on the lips and cheeks.

“Yes, sire. I’ll do my best.” Arthur chuckled, kissing his Alpha once more.

**Author's Note:**

> Give kudos and leave a comment if you enjoyed it!


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